Raising the profile of estates in schools and academies
Jo Marchant, The Boxing Academy & Jon Jones, MAC Construction Consultants

One challenge to delivering effective estates management is the ability to engage senior leaders at a strategic level, an issue highlighted by the National Audit Office in its June 2023 report on the ‘Condition of School Buildings’. Securing this engagement is also central to delivering the DfE’s Good Estates Management for Schools framework. The DfE’s more recent Estate Management Competency Framework is a further driver for raising the profile of estates in schools and academies. Overall, this can be beneficial to all stakeholders, including estates professionals as well as contractors and suppliers, in terms of working with an informed client.

This session will explore the reasons why it is important to raise the profile of estates management and how this can be achieved effectively.

From Audit to Retrofit: the challenging path towards a net zero school
Victoria Turner, Levitt Bernstein

The Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools operated a diamond teaching structure across their 5 campuses in the town of Monmouth. The decision was made in September 2022 to become a fully co-educational school through the infant to sixth form year groups, which was to be fully launched in September 2024.

Victoria Turner will take conference attendees through this complex case study to explain the rapid process that took place of Masterplanning which included auditing (building facilities and environmental) and sustainable decarbonisation planning, and which informed the subsequent design and delivery of appropriately targeted and affordable developments to meet the needs of the school across all 5 sites. Victoria will explain the importance of all the stages of work that took place. This holistic approach needs to be considered on all school and university estates across the UK when planning for net zero and how any and all developments must positively contribute to this.